Portland is the best NBA story outside of Oakland. The Blazers are a selfless, hard-charging group that has blitzed to an 18-5 record since the middle of January, and seized a playoff spot that looked hopelessly out of reach two months ago.
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SCHEDULING
The Blazers were able to make up some ground in the West during a recent stretch where they played 12 of 14 games at home. Portland bookended that run with losses, but in between went 11-1 SU and 9-3 ATS to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack fighting for playoff positioning at the bottom of the West. The Blazers opened a season-long, nine-day East Coast trip impressively, winning the first three games before fatigue finally caught up with them. Playing their fourth game of the trip in five nights, the Blazers were no match for the Celtics on Wednesday. They’ll have a day between games for the duration of the trip.
A stop in San Antonio has resulted in a loss for every visiting team this season. The Pistons became victim No. 29 when they had their four-game winning streak stopped on Wednesday in the first of a quick two-game road trip. Detroit returns home to face the Trail Blazers on Sunday to complete the back-to-back set after playing in the Garden against the Knicks Saturday night. Detroit is 6-7 SU and 7-6 ATS in the second of its back-to-backs this season, but has outright wins in its last three and covered in each of its last four.
INJURIES
Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu sustained an injury to his right hand Wednesday, but is expected to play this weekend.
Stanley Johnson hasn’t played since straining his shoulder against the Cavaliers on Feb. 22. The Pistons forward is likely a week away from being able to return. Forward Anthony Tolliver remains out with a knee injury and Jodie Meeks, who hasn’t played since the second game of the season, is making progress towards a return.
KEY MATCHUP
With encouragement from Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum has blossomed into the perfect sidekick. The third-year pro seized his opportunity and the Blazers now have a backcourt pair that rivals that of the Warriors. After averaging just over 15 minutes and scoring 6.8 points a game last season, those numbers have ballooned to nearly 35 minutes and 21 points per outing this season. He did battle an assortment of injuries his first two seasons, but was also stuck behind Wesley Matthews and then Arron Afflalo last year. The Blazers lack scoring punch up front, so the continued exceptional play of McCollum and Lillard is necessary to sustain what the club has been able to do over the past six weeks. Portland will be a good offensive club as long as Lillard and McCollum are healthy.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It’s safe to say the Blazers have exceeded everyone’s expectations, perhaps even those of GM Neil Olshey, who constructed this group around mega-star Damian Lillard after the other four starters from last season’s 51-win team bolted. Portland has outplayed its talent. If the Rockets played with this level of effort, joy and cohesiveness, the Blazers would be at least one spot lower on the Western Conference ladder. And they turned their season around on defense. Portland is eighth in points allowed per possession since the first week of January after surrendering points earlier in the NBA season. Portland plays for one another and is better than the sum of its parts. That’s a product of coach Terry Stotts’ system and Lillard’s encouraging voice.
Portland 110, Detroit 104
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